Helping Our Seniors
As we approach the two-year anniversary of the beginning of the pandemic and subsequent shut down, we are all prone to reflection. How it affected us back then…how it continues to affect us today…and how it will affect our future. Every age group and generation has had unique and unexpected challenges to face over the past two years. A recent conversation with Ann Hablitzel shed light on something she was encountering more than ever before during her time at Rowntree Gardens, a senior community. She and some of the other staff and nurses were seeing a rapid increase in “Geriatric Frailty Syndrome” since March 2020.
This type of frailty is the result of decline in multiple physical functions and health as some people get older. It is important to note however that frailty is not a natural result of aging but instead a condition. While 30% of older adults in the U.S. are considered frail by the age of 90, 70% are not. The pandemic and stay inside orders isolated a lot of us, and it hit this age group pretty hard. Ann was noticing residents that were once energetic and social, were beginning to really struggle. Weight loss, low activity level, poor endurance, loss of muscle strength, and a slow and unsteady gait were all criteria for frailty. Ann and her colleagues knew that these challenges did not have to be permanent and can be mitigated, so they set out developing a program to help these residents gain freedom and strength.
The Gaining Freedom and Strength Program combined physical therapy and specific exercise programs aimed at improving strength, balance, and mobility. A second component was a registered dietitian proving counseling and meal plans helping each person understand their individual needs. Finally, supportive care to address any social, emotional, and spiritual needs. A program like this one can work for residents, or even as a “drop in” program for 1-2 months. Ann was seeing great results and the continuation of this program has been very successful.
Lots of our discussions with peers have revolved around our aging parents and the toll that Covid has taken on them physically and emotionally. Not the illness itself, but the effects of being isolated at home or even in Senior Living facilities. It’s easy for us to recommend more physical or social activities to our parents, but it’s not so easy to be on the receiving end of that advice. That’s why we thought it would be nice to share this story, just to help people become aware there are programs like this available for our aging family and friends.
Ann, thank you for helping seniors in Orange County with the process of “reentry” into more normal living and activities for our Seniors.